The XLR8R Office Top Ten Album Picks, June 18

Gui Boratto “Hera (The Field Remix)” KompatWhether it’s nu-trance or techno or banging ambient, it’s amazing. When Sweden takes on Brazil, the result is a repetitive, hypnotic taste of what dance music needs to sound like–dark, monotonously banging, and sublime.

VariousFabric 35: Ewan PearsonFabricPearson has been producing records for the Rapture and Tracey Thorn, but it’s nice to see the dude back on the mixing end of things. Any one man that can infuse Jahcoozi’s dubstep with Snax’s Konrad Black remix and eventually fall into Liquid Liquid’s percussion paradise deserves scene points–and a gold star.

SpoonGa Ga Ga Ga GaMergeWith their latest LP, Britt Daniel and Company haven’t exactly pushed into new terrain. Sure, they get a little Motown here and Billy Joel there, but in the end, this album sounds as minimal, precise, and poppy as any Spoon album. Why ask for more?

VariousWe Love…IbizaMinistry of SoundIt looked like this comp was headed straight to the XLR8R trance graveyard (a.k.a. the big box of shit in Ken’s office). That was until we noticed that Riton and Serge Santiago did the mixing, and that the tracklist was full of tweek-house (Cajmere) and percussive new disco (Cosmo Vitelli). We still don’t love Ibiza, but we sure love this mix.

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DatA Aerius Light EPEkler’O’ShockIf all electro-house is one giganticc homage (well, rip-off) to Daft Punk, then Paris’ DatA is up there with the best of them. With plenty of ’70s arena-rock organ arpeggios, filtered synths, and robot funk, Aerius Light isn’t just another group of bland “blog-house” tracks–it’s dancefloor devastation from start to finish.

Nusrat Fateh Ali KhanThe Final Studio RecordingsSonyWe thought it was bizarre that Rick Rubin would produce the most famous Qawwali singer in the world, so we gave this collection a listen. Halfway into the second disc, the driving tabla rhythms and insane vocal improvisations had us feeling like Woody Harrelson after 72 hours in Goa. It was rad.

KramesDishwasher SafeSelf-ReleasedBaltimore club was made for sweaty summer nights, and out here in foggy San Francisco, we’re ready for a few of those. On this unmixed comp, Richmond, VA-based DJ Krames takes on everyone from Yello to Sir Mix-a-Lot to Cajmere before spitting out a barrage of often clever, but always pounding b-more remixes.

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Various Ova Looven: 58:34 RemixesArtikalA few weeks back, Managing Editor Ken Taylor found Ova Looven’s Gravity Has Expired and almost lost his shit with excitement. This week Associate Online Editor Fred Miketa discovered the 58:34 Remixes and found himself in glitch and synth heaven. Not unlike the members’ prior band, Antarctica, Ova Looven can make chorus-effected guitars and synths sound hella sweet.

BlacklistS/T Self-ReleasedSpeaking of Antarctica, ex-drummer Glenn Maryansky and XLR8R videogames editor Ryan Rayhill’s new band Blacklist is equally killer. These dudes sound like Sisters of Mercy, but with the guy from The Psychedelic Furs singing alongside Peter Murphy. Is it a typical XLR8R pick? Not really. But coldwave this gnarly deserves its own magazine.

Morgan PackardAirships Fill the SkyAnticipateEzekiel Honig’s Anticipate imprint is going big with Morgan Packard. For his solo debut, Packard fuses deep techno kicks with the buzzing of a plethora of digitized instruments (saxophone, accordion, cello), and beeps his way through the least-boring ambient music to come across this office in a hot minute.